Each year, thousands of lives are saved, and tens of thousands more improved, with the support of medical examiners in Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico, coroners in Georgia and funeral homes in all LifeLink service areas. Medical examiners, coroners and funeral homes support families through some of the most difficult days they face in the aftermath of a loved one’s passing. As community partners, their support of organ, tissue and eye donation allows families to carry out their loved ones decision, or make a decision in the event their loved one did not decide for themselves, to save lives as a donor.
LifeLink works with medical examiners in Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico, as well as coroners in Georgia, to facilitate organ donation and ensure that the donation process does not interfere with necessary forensic investigation of cause or manner of death. Medical examiners and coroners also work with LifeLink to identify individuals who have passed away outside of a hospital setting, known as a scene death, who could be considered as a tissue and eye donor. Together, LifeLink and medical examiner or coroner personnel determine donation suitability, obtain clearance to ensure any investigative process can be completed, and offer families the option of tissue donation. Collectively, this collaborative work gives patients waiting for transplantation improved quality of life, and often provides the family of each potential donor with some comfort in helping others in an otherwise tragic situation.
